I’ve just been watching one of those short science shows for schools, which I like to do while eating my lunchtime sandwich. They’re fascinating, as they look at all the odd questions from everyday life, which kids ask, but none of us all-knowing adults ever bothers to think about. The lighter side of science, if [...]
‘Science Stuff’
Why Does Toast Always Fall Jam Side Down?
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010The Science of Tennis
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010by Wendy Ogbourne During the last two weeks of January, I am sure that many of you will have been watching and enjoying the Australian Open tennis tournament, as I did. In the 60’s I played “hit and giggle’ tennis, mainly as an excuse for a social gathering with other young mothers. I was never [...]
Have You Been Polled Lately?
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010by Wendy Ogbourne I’m not sure whether the gathering of data for Opinion Polls and Market Research can reasonably be called a Science, an Art, or just plain guesswork. But there’s no doubt it has become an integral part of modern life. There are actually distinct differences between them. Opinion Polls, mainly used to [...]
Where is it Written?
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010by John Merchant In the five and a half thousand years since the Ancient Egyptians invented papyrus, mankind has been searching for a more practical and durable way to record the thoughts, images and transactions that humans find so necessary. The Essenes, or Sadducees, depending on which scholars you believe, advanced the technology with parchment, [...]
Luminiferous Ether
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010by Colin Fisher A friend of mine used to claim that a boring speaker had “ether lips.” That is, the talk put one to sleep. Of course, ether here means ethyl ether, a common anesthetic. This article is about aether, or ether. The Greek Classical Elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Aether) date from [...]
The International Year of Astronomy 2009
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009by Wendy Ogbourne Every year seems to be designated as the International Year of something, and 2009 is no exception. Apparently, among others, it’s been the year of Natural Fibres Creativity and Innovation The Shark The Gorilla The Blood Donor Darwin bicentennial It’s also been the International Year of Astronomy, and though now almost over, [...]
Down to Earth
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009by Colin Fisher We live on the surface of a very complex structure that we call “Earth.” Sometimes we call ordinary dirt “earth.” That hardly does justice to Earth. Earth is the only home that we know. Modern science estimates its age as about five billion (thousand million) years. A year being measured as the [...]
CONTROL
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009by John Merchant Do you like to be in control? If you say “No,” I have to doubt you. Everyone wants to be in control: of their life, their cars, their kids, their careers etc. And here, I’m differentiating “In control,” to being “controlling,” a subtle, but important difference. But what does “Control” actually mean. [...]
“Fire”
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009by Colin Fisher In the past, this column has addressed “air” and “water”; the subject for this month is “fire.” Certainly, man’s ability to make and use fire has contributed greatly to the success of our kind for over hundreds of thousands of years. What is fire? Fire is a high temperature gas that, in [...]
Technology in Medicine – to scan or not to scan
Click the title above to read the complete post. Posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009by Wendy Ogbourne In today’s world, the use of sophisticated technology and equipment is now firmly established in medical diagnosis and treatment. Many of us may owe our lives or our quality of life to such technology, which was unheard of and unimagined a generation ago. However, with the undoubted benefits, there is always the [...]